His words hang in the air like smoke, curling and twisting into something dangerous. A seed, planted.
I try to block it out.
I know what he’s doing.
He’s trying to poison my mind, trying to drive a wedge between Kade and me. But I can’t let him. Not when I canstill hear Kade’s voice in my head, the strength in his words, the promises he made. I won’t let this bastard twist that into something else. Not when the blood weave assures me that Kade isn’t hurting me.
But Malric’s magic isn’t just physical. It’s psychological, an insidious thread worming its way through my thoughts.
“Kade can’t protect you,” he continues, his voice smooth and cold. “Not anymore. The blood weave is weakening him. He’s losing control, Zara. And when he does, when his magic breaks, he’ll be just another man. And you? You’ll be alone.”
My chest tightens.
My heart shudders.
My soul screams and agony erupts, pulsing through me in an unstoppable wave. Pressure builds and the urge to scream is all-consuming and I want to lash out, but I hold, determined to wait for the moment. I’m dangerously close to breaking and I can’t let Malric realize his words are worming their way into my being, rekindling misgivings I’d only just begun to extinguish.
The thread that binds us is unbreakable, but my connection with him is fragile. My feelings for Kade are far from clear and Malric’s exploiting the rawest part of me, and it’s the oldest trick in the book. His words are slow poison and they seep into every crack and crevice in my mind, flooding me with doubt.
I force myself to breathe, slow and steady, but his magic surges as a thousand hands grab me, each one clawing, digging, pulling at my thoughts. Kade’s presence haunts the darkest crevices of my consciousness and the faintest flicker of candlelight it brings will not extinguish.
Malric pushes and I push back.
I struggle to speak, my voice barely more than a rasp, but the words come out with a force that surprises even me.
“You’re wrong, Malric.”
His smile falters for a split second, and in that moment, I push past the worst of the pain. His magic trembles, just for an instant, and that’s all I need. My breath is ragged, my limbs shaking, but I won’t give in. I won’t let him win.
My chest heaves as every part of me screams for release. The gnawing darkness I’ve kept locked away for too long spreads through me, seeping into my bones and flooding the marrow that brings me life. It pulses beneath the pain, a shadow waiting to consume me. Malric’s words seep like poison into the cracks of my resolve, but he won’t break me.
Not like this. Not now I’ve found this.
“You’ve lost,” I breathe, each word a strain against the burning agony, but the darkness rises from the depth of my soul and it’s a tsunami that is unstoppable.
Malric grins, sensing the shift, his hands still pressing against me like iron. “Oh, Zara. You’re breaking. I can feel it. Just give in. Let it…”
He stops mid-sentence, eyes narrowing, as if he’s sensing the change before he comprehends it. My body trembles violently, not from fear or pain, but from something unspeakable. Something ancient, something dark. It’s an evil beyond his understanding and even the blood weave trembles, bending to my will.
Reality shifts.
A shadow looms behind me, darker than the air itself, and the magic around me flares, surging outward like an untamed storm. I push through the pain, my voice now a low growl, thick with power.
“You shouldn’t have underestimated me.”
A cry rips through my throat as I release the darkness that has always been inside me. It’s clawed at the edges ofmy consciousness and now it’s free, the raw magic bursting from me like a chaotic explosion of energy that sends violent shockwaves through the chamber. The ground cracks beneath my feet, splintering as if the world itself shudders at my awakening. Malric staggers back, his smug grin faltering for the first time.
A dark, swirling vortex forms around me, crackling with power that makes the air sing.
“I see no weakness, Malric.” I step forward.
His eyes widen, but he doesn’t retreat. Instead, his lips curl into a wicked smile, and I know he’s not finished.
But neither am I.
I push harder, feeding the dark magic, letting it consume me. It swirls around as a storm of shadows that tears through the room. I feel every ounce of my power; the agony fueling it, the rage and the pain channeling into power far greater than anything he can throw at me.
“You have been weighed and measured, and found wanting, warlock.”
Malric’s eyes blaze with recognition and doubt floods his crimson irises. The uncontrollable storm I’ve unleashed surges forward, crashing into him. He raises a barrier, and I shudder as his magic falters beneath the onslaught of my power.
I smile and sway, surrendering to whatever is sweeping me away.
The darkness closes in on me, swallowing everything in its wake. Its power consumes me, dragging me down into an uncontrollable, undeniable nightmare. Pain and exhaustion rage through me as the storm tears through the chamber and I’m no longer wielding whatever this is—it’s wielding me. My breath falters, my limbs grow heavy, and I’m lost, tangled in the chaos I’ve unleashed.
My eyes flit around the chamber, finding Kade’s dark eyes staring at me. His gaze is heavy and silent as he stands there watching me unravel, doing nothing to help me as the world fades to black.
